


Wu the Big Tough Guy

by Megaeevee



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, Maybe - Freeform, also huan is here, also there's like one swear word, eventually, the earthbending au that no one asked for, wu didnt ask for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:57:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10788072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megaeevee/pseuds/Megaeevee
Summary: When it's discovered that Prince Wu is an earthbender, he doesn't quite believe it. While everyone else is quite enthusiastic for what this might mean for Wu, he remains less than impressed. Will he reject this 'new' ability or will he discover that there is something in bending for him?





	1. Chapter 1

It happened in the seating area of Asami’s airship, on the way to Zaofu. Everyone was taking a little vacation, to relax after a hectic few years of rebuilding Republic City and sorting out the Earth Kingdom, but Wu had been talking at her the whole way (not really flirting, since Korrasami had happened and all) but goddammit Asami was sick of hearing his voice. 

She’d snapped at him and he’d gotten that kicked puppy look and made a few comments right back and maybe Asami had rounded on him, not really intending to hurt him but to make him shut up.

Except Wu had backed up and fallen over a coffee table and, in a panic at lying helpless on the floor with Asami looming over him, had thrown his hands up to protect himself and sent a clay vase flying. Without touching it.

What. 

Asami stared down at him, trying to understand what had happened. Wu looked up at her warily for a few moments before relaxing when he decided she wasn’t going to hurt him. He breathed a huge sigh of relief and sprawled out.

“Phew, I thought you were really gonna hurt me there. Ha ha, wow…” Wu said. He stood up, brushing down his suit. “Some people would really like to ruin my beautiful face but I should’ve known you weren’t like them, Asami.” He was about to start babbling again, but Asami cut him off.

“Did you just earthbend?” Asami tried to remember if she had ever seen him do it before, or if Mako had ever mentioned him having the ability. She couldn’t think of anything and she was sure she would remember if she had. 

“What?” Wu looked genuinely confused. “Asami, I’ve never bent a thing in my entire life – not even a straw! - and I certainly didn’t do so just now.” He suddenly looked worried. “Are you hallucinating? Are you sick? Should I get Korra?” He grabbed her arm as if he thought she was going to keel over.

He was just about to call for Korra when Asami gestured to the broken vase laying a few feet away. 

“You knocked that vase over without touching it. How do you explain that?” Asami said. She knew what she had seen and there was no other explanation. 

“No, I didn’t,” Wu said, as if he was explaining something to a small child. “I knocked the vase over with my hand when I fell.”

Asami frowned. “You really don’t know what you just did? Have you never earthbent before?”

Wu let go of her arm and threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Asami, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not a bender and I never have been. Don’t you think I would have noticed before now if I was? Unless there’s been another Harmonic Convergence in the last five minutes, I haven’t suddenly gained the ability to bend earth.” He said and crossed his arms, as if to say that was that. 

Wu looked like he was honestly getting a bit annoyed but Asami wasn’t about to drop this. Didn’t he realise how big of a deal this was?

“Maybe Korra will know something. She might be able to do some Avatar thing and sense if you can earthbend or not.” Asami said. 

She’d seen Korra do some pretty incredible things; surely sensing if Wu could bend would be well within her vast capabilities. 

Wu sighed in resignation. “Well, if it’ll get this crazy notion out of your head… Besides,” and here he did an outrageous eyebrow wiggle, “I certainly won’t object to up close and personal time with the Avatar.” 

Asami didn’t even dignify that with a response, instead grabbing his wrist and dragging him off to find her girlfriend.

~~

They found Korra and Mako on the observation deck. Asami could see the mountain they would have to round to get to Zaofu and knew that they would be arriving soon. She dragged Wu over to the window where Korra and Mako were standing.

“Korra! Wu’s an earthbender!”

Korra and Mako both looked really confused, looking between her and Wu. Wu made an exasperated gesture behind Asami’s back to show that she was crazy. 

“Asami,” Mako said, “no, he’s not. I worked for him for three years and I know way, way, more about him than I want to. Trust me; Wu’s not an earthbender.”

“Listen to him, Asami. Mako knows what he’s talking about.” Wu said.

Asami ignored him. She turned to Korra.

“I saw Wu earthbend. He was panicking and bent a clay vase off a table. I know what I saw.” She put a hand on Korra’s shoulder and smiled. “Can you do your amazing Avatar thing and check for me?”

“Well, I guess it couldn't hurt.” Korra shrugged. “I could kinda do that thing where I take away people’s bending, just to check if it’s there. I wouldn’t actually go that far, of course, if it is there.”

The last part was clearly said for Wu’s benefit, but he didn’t look as if he cared. Neither he nor Mako looked as if they believed for one second that he could earthbend. 

“If Wu is a bender, how come he’s never done it before?” Mako asked.

“That’s what I said!”

“Well,” Korra said, thinking deeply, “you said he was panicking earlier, right?” At Asami’s nod, she continued, “accidental bending is only done by children who have no control or adults who are scared and trying to protect themselves. Wu, how many situations have you ever been in where you needed to protect yourself?” 

Wu thought for a moment, then said, “I guess, none? Mako’s always been there to protect me from dangerous stuff. And before that I had other guards.”

Asami perked up. “So it’s possible he’s a bender and didn’t know it?”

“He definitely would have bent as a child, but I guess he could have forgotten? We'll find out for sure when I could go into the Avatar state and check.”

Korra moved to stand in front of Wu and put her hands in position. He looked ridiculously excited at the prospect of finally seeing Korra in the Avatar state, something he had been wanting since they met and something Korra had avoided on purpose. 

Korra’s eyes started to glow and a puzzled frown appeared on her face. It was over after only a few seconds, Korra retreating and Wu looking disappointed.

Asami and Mako looked at Korra expectantly. She looked bewildered. Then she turned to Wu and said:

“Congratulations. You’re an earthbender.”

Wu looked shell shocked. He was for once rendered speechless. Mako looked pretty much the same, staring at Wu like he’d never seen him before. 

Asami grinned in smug satisfaction but she was also pleased for Wu. Earthbending was going to change his life for the better, now that he could become strong and independent. Asami had never needed bending but there was a certain something about a strong bender that made people sit up and take notice, that lent more... credibility. She thought someone like Wu could definitely benefit.

“I… What?” Wu said. He looked like he was having trouble coming to terms with his new reality. 

Asami understood. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she suddenly found out she could bend - but she would’ve thought Wu would look a little happier.

Mako put his hand on Wu’s shoulder, steadying him, because he looked a little dazed. Mako still looked surprised, but pleasantly so, unlike Wu. He clearly shared Asami’s mind set. 

“Congratulations, Wu. Wait ‘til Bolin hears about this; he’ll definitely want to teach you everything he knows.” Mako said.

“Yeah, congratulations. I’m sure you’ll pick up bending in no time.” Asami said, even if she doubted her words a little. 

Korra nodded. “Zaofu’s got some of the best earthbenders in the world. Between them, Bolin and I, you’ll be caught up to speed just like that.” She still looked bewildered but also a bit excited at the prospect of training someone, even if it was Wu.

At that moment, one of the flight crew came in to tell them that they would be landing momentarily.

“I’m going to go freshen up,” Wu said.

They let him go, figuring he would need time alone to take it all in. Mako went to find Bolin and Opal, who had been mysteriously absent the entire flight. Korra and Asami sat down in chairs facing the window and held hands excitedly as the airship descended on Zaofu. 

~~ 

Wu was freaking out. He’d walked until his legs had given out and he’d collapsed in the hallway. Now he was sitting with his head in his hands, rocking a little.

There was no way.

He didn’t believe them. 

How could he be an earthbender? He’d never felt the earth, not in the way benders described feeling it. But how could the Avatar be wrong? 

Had he really bent as a child? He couldn’t remember it but he knew why nobody in the Palace at Ba Sing Se had ever mentioned it to him. 

And oh my God, what was everyone in Ba Sing Se going to say when they found out? In the Upper Ring, bending – proper, dirty, sweaty bending – was seen as distinctly lower class. 

It didn’t matter because he wasn’t a bender. The Avatar must have made a mistake – it could happen to anyone, really.

That’s what he told himself until he calmed down. When his legs had stopped shaking, Wu pushed himself up from the ground. He was still a little wobbly but he managed to walk himself to the nearest bathroom without falling over. 

He still looked remarkably put together for someone who had almost just had their world turned upside down. It was a talent really; looking good on the outside while you were freaking out on the inside.

His hair needed a slight fix but other than that he was good to go. He delayed a little, double checking to make sure there were no errors in his appearance. Admiring himself helped calm Wu down even further and soon he deemed himself presentable again. 

But as he was finishing up, he caught himself staring at his hands, wondering if they really did have the power to move the earth. He quite firmly pushed those thoughts down, put on his best smile and strode out the door to greet Zaofu with open arms, as if nothing was wrong. 

Because there was no way he was an earthbender.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a warm day and the buildings of Zaofu gleamed in the sunlight. Wu could see that he was the last to get off the airship. Suyin and Baatar Senior had come to greet everybody, along with Lin, who had arrived in Zaofu a few days earlier. Korra and Asami were talking excitedly to everyone who wasn’t present when they had found out Wu could supposedly earthbend. 

Mako was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He looked Wu up and down to make sure he was alright after the shocking news earlier. 

Wu put his arm around Mako’s shoulders. “I’m fine, buddy. Listen, I figured it out! Korra made a mistake.” He put his hand up to stop Mako opening his mouth. “It’s alright. It happens to the best of us and I’m certainly not judging. There’s just no way I can be an earthbender, that’s all.” 

They started walking towards the group. Mako looked dubious at Wu’s assessment. 

“I don’t think the Avatar can make a mistake about something like that,” Mako said. “Look, I know this was a big shock, it was for me too, and nobody expects you to suddenly get over it. I just think you should be a bit more receptive to the idea. Who knows? It might make you a better person.”

Wu suddenly stopped. Normally he would take Mako’s advice without question but something in him objected to the implication that he needed to change. 

“Do I need to become a better person?” Wu liked to think he was a good person. He’d done enough soul searching to know he was horribly spoiled, and would probably always be that way, but he liked to think he was kind enough to balance it out. He thought he’d learned a lot over the last few, stressful and difficult, years of abdicating the throne but maybe it wasn’t enough? Did Mako think he was a bad person?

Why did everyone suddenly want him to change?

Mako, realising he’d put his foot in his mouth, hurried to explain. “No! I didn’t mean – I meant that you might get a little tougher – not that you were a bad person, just that now you have the opportunity to improve – you know what? Never mind.” 

When they reached the group, everyone was busy catching up - Opal was getting hugs from both her parents (and was giving one to Lin) and they all looked happy to be back in Zaofu. 

“Hey, Wu! So I heard you have Earthbending now, huh?” Bolin said, grinning at Wu. “That’s so cool! I’d be happy to show you the basics – if you wanted.” 

Wu gulped. Everyone had turned to look at him expectantly. 

Lin looked extremely sceptical and probably wouldn’t believe the useless Prince she’d been tasked with protecting once upon a time could actually earthbend, until she saw it with her own eyes. Suyin looked delighted and even Opal looked pleasantly surprised. 

“Uh, well, about that…” Wu started. It wasn’t like him to stumble over words but he didn’t want to let all these people down. “I just really don’t think that I am actually an earthbender. Clearly there’s been a mistake so we can all just forget about it and enjoy our vacation.” 

“Wu, I’m sure there’s been no mistake,” Suyin said. Lin snorted. “It’s perfectly all right to be anxious but Earthbending is a wonderful thing and everyone here in Zaofu is going to make you into the best bender you can be.” 

“Yeah and don’t worry about the late start; most of the new airbenders are older than you and they are all doing great,” Korra said. Asami was nodding next to her, trying to look encouraging. 

Mako put his hand on Wu’s shoulder. It was supposed to be reassuring but to Wu it felt like it was keeping him in place.

“I was really scared when I first got my bending but as soon as I found out what I was really capable of… it was so freeing,” Opal said. This might have been the first thing she had ever said to him, outside of awkward small talk whenever they had run into each other in the past. 

Wu put on his best smile. “Thank you all for that, really. But I’ve gone this long without it and I really don’t feel like bending is for me anyway.” If he could actually bend, that is. 

“But bending is the coolest thing ever!” Korra said. Even if she had matured these last years, she still believed it. 

They all looked confused, except Lin, who looked bored. For the first time ever, Mako was looking at Wu like he couldn’t figure him out. Suyin looked disappointed and ready to protest. 

“Let the boy alone. If he doesn’t want to bend, let him be.” Baatar finally spoke up. He was the only one who looked like he didn’t have an opinion on whether or not Wu should bend. Wu had never been so thankful to a near stranger in his life. “Come on and we’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

He started to move off and after a pause, everyone moved with him. Some of them cast strange looks over their shoulders but after a few moments the conversation had moved on. 

“It’s been so long since I was home! I’ve really missed it. Hey, where are Wing and Wei? Huan?” Opal was saying. 

Wu breathed a sigh of relief, even if he suspected this conversation was not actually over.

~~

Dinner was a delectable, three-course affair, served in the formal dining room. Wu was seated on the corner of the table, round the corner from Lin and next to Mako. He hadn’t really had the appetite to eat much of the first two courses – it might have been his stomach twisting in knots in anticipation of the end to the unfinished conversation or it might have been sitting so close to Chief Beifong – but dessert was really delicious and he found himself quite capable of eating it. 

The day so far had been splendid. Wu had never been to Zaofu before and had enjoyed getting a tour of the city and admiring the metalbenders at work, even if he had gotten a few pointed looks while doing so. 

Despite the fact that they were sitting in the formal dining room, the chatter was friendly and informal, something which Wu greatly appreciated. He had sat through many a tedious meal in his day.

However, somehow the conversation had managed to come around first to bending in general, then to Earthbending and finally to Wu’s Earthbending. 

“And you’re sure this kid can earthbend?” Lin said, looking Wu up and down. Wu scooted a little closer to Mako.

“Don’t be like that, Lin! I’m sure Wu will make a fine earthbender.” Suyin leaned past Lin to smile at Wu. On her other side, Baatar seemed content to remain silent for now. Lin rolled her eyes and went back to her dessert.

“Yeah, Wu,” Bolin said, with his mouth full. At Opal's elbow, he swallowed and went on, “I don’t get why you don’t at least want to try.”

Across the room, Korra sighed and put her fork down. “Look, I can’t say I understand why he doesn’t want to bend,” Korra shot Wu a searching look, “but I know we did get a little over excited earlier and forgot to actually ask him. So if Wu doesn’t want to earthbend then nobody is going to make him.” Asami nodded and laced her fingers with Korra’s. 

Wu looked at each person in turn, his smile strained. He knew they all wanted him to at least try but… if he was honest, bending was kind of scary to him. He’d never been exposed to lots of bending as a child and his first time seeing Mako firebend was frightening. 

Everyone was looking at him for an answer. Suyin looked like she was already sizing him up for his first lesson but Lin looked like she thought he would hurt himself in the first five minutes. 

Wu knew they would be disappointed if he said no – they had all looked so eager to teach him earlier. His eyes slid to Mako, who would support any decision he made but who also looked like he really wanted Wu to earthbend.

Maybe he could try. If it turned out he could bend, it would give him something in common with Korra, Opal and Mako. They might start to like him more and want him around if he proved he wasn’t completely useless. It wouldn’t help with Asami but Wu still had hope for that relationship anyway. 

That settled it then. Wu was going to be the first Earth Kingdom monarch for over two centuries to bend. He was going to learn how to earthbend. And maybe he’d show Lin something in the process.

“I guess I could give it a shot.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Korra was the first to give him his lesson. They were near the spot where Korra had learned to metalbend (Wu refused to entertain thoughts of metalbending until he had earthbending down). Mako was sitting on the steps to the gazebo, keeping an eye on him. Wu had made sure nobody else was going to watch by claiming he wouldn’t be able to focus with that many people. 

However, Korra had only ever given that one lesson to Opal, who had already been bending, and it was clear she had no idea where to start. Apparently, teaching people how to control their bending and teaching someone how to actually bend were completely different.

She eventually decided that the first step to any bending was being able to actually feel the element you were supposed to be manipulating. They started with meditation, sitting cross legged on the ground across from each other (Wu had never sat on the ground before – it was a bit thrilling).

He ended up being quite good at meditation, but he didn’t know what he was supposed to be feeling. It helped him calm his nerves a little but that was all.

Next, Korra tried bending a rock in front of him to see if he could feel what she was doing with it. Nothing. Wu wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved. 

Korra never lost her patience, even when Wu got a little impatient with himself, and he really had to admire her for that. Even Mako had taken to wandering in and out after the first hour. They kept at it for most of the morning, trying various different ways of amplifying Wu’s so called connection to the rocks or whatever, including blindfolds (in which Wu was incredibly glad that avatar powers did not extend to mind reading), before Bolin showed up. 

At this point, Wu wasn’t even trying to feel anything, just admiring the cool shapes Korra was making with the rocks. She got up and spoke with Bolin for a few minutes, while Wu flopped down on the ground for a much needed break. The little thrill he got from lying in the dirt was honestly the most exciting thing that had happened that morning.

Korra gave him one last look before heading off to find Asami and Wu was a little disappointed in himself. He should have spent the morning bonding with her, so at least he’d feel like it hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

Oh, well. There was still Bolin.   
~~

Mako stopped by at the start of their lesson, to see how Wu was getting on and lend his support. Bolin waved him away, saying they didn’t need it. Wu smiled and agreed and Mako left, looking amused.

Something you should know about Bolin and Wu is that, somehow, they have managed to become friends. Despite being on opposite sides for the majority of Kuvira’s campaign, the first time they were forced to have a conversation, something clicked. They have too many similarities to ignore.  
Thus, their lesson went something like this: work hard for a short time at getting Wu to learn basic earthbending forms; break for lunch and spend a good while not-gossiping; finally, spend the early afternoon talking up a storm while doing some more complicated forms - all without actual bending of course. 

It was more fun than Korra’s lesson but not any more fruitful. Bolin kept telling Wu not to worry, that he would move up to bending eventually, but Wu was beginning to doubt he ever would.   
It was only deepening his disbelief that he was an earthbender.   
~~

Suyin was just as encouraging as Bolin but much stricter. She ran Wu through all the earthbending forms again, correcting his stances, and then she put a rock in his hands and told him to bend. She had the same problem as Korra – although she had taught all of her earthbending children, she had only started after they had began to bend for themselves. He tried explaining to her that he didn’t know how and she told him that was nonsense.

Suyin then ran him through some memory exercises to try and remember when he had bent as a child but he came up empty. Wu had racked his brains all the previous night, trying to remember ever earthbending. He couldn’t come up with a single memory. He had talked to Mako about it at breakfast and he said Wu must not have bent since he was a toddler. Mako himself has vague memories of firebending as a young child but he says couldn’t remember the first time he did it.

The matriarch of the metal clan was not discouraged by this information. Instead she tried to get him to bend by playing a game she had played with her children. She would gently bend a rock at Wu and he would try to bend it back to her. Wu both wanted and didn’t want it to work. 

It didn’t. 

They tried other games but the only thing they served to do was make Wu feel even worse about himself. When they called it quits, Su put her arm around him and reminded him that it had only been one day and that hardly anybody ever learned in just one day. She tactfully did not mention how quickly Korra had learned metalbending. 

Everyone had agreed to taking a gentle approach first, rather than trying to panic more bending out of him but, as Wu trudged back to the main house with Suyin to get ready for dinner, he realised he might not be so lucky tomorrow... At least he hadn’t hurt himself.

This was officially the worst vacation ever.


	4. Chapter 4

At dinner, everyone was talking about going swimming down at the lake. Well, the younger generation was. Bolin was talking about bringing food and picnic blankets and Asami asked Wing and Wei if they could bring their portable radio.

Wu had only seen a little of Wing and Wei and he hadn’t seen any of the artist brother, though he had admired some of his sculptures. Apparently, he was in one of his 'crazes' and couldn't be persuaded to join them. Wu had heard the older brother was really grumpy but the twins were full of life and they seemed to like Wu well enough. 

Everyone seemed really excited to go down to the lake. Korra was even asking Su if she had a boat they could use. Wu found himself grinning at the prospect of a nice, relaxing boat ride but he wasn’t sure if anyone had meant for him to come along.

He wasn’t stupid – he saw the way they rolled their eyes when he talked sometimes and he knew some of them didn’t like him that much. He had been so excited for this vacation because it meant he could spend some quality time with Korra, Asami and Opal.

He’d seen plenty of Mako and Bolin over the past couple of years; whenever Wu had a break he would head over to Republic City to visit Mako. Bolin was travelling around the Earth Kingdom helping out and Wu would run into him quite often. At first it had been awkward but then friendship had bloomed. He’d met Opal a few times but even though they had never really spoken, he got the impression she thought he was a bit annoying.

Wu had also run into Korra and Asami occasionally and he had tried his best but he wasn’t sure he could repair their bad first impressions of him. They had always looked a bit relieved when they were leaving. 

Would they want him to come to the lake? Wu wanted to go and be part of the group. He leaned over and quietly asked Mako if he was allowed to come. Mako looked at him strangely and said of course.

After dessert, everyone split up to get ready. Suyin was going to round up bathing suits, since nobody had thought to pack one and Bolin went down to the kitchens to see about food. Wu didn’t know what to do so he followed Mako back to the bedrooms.

He sat on the bed while Mako started to rummage through the closet. 

“Did you remember anything? About bending.” Mako asked, without turning around.

“No.” Wu pulled his legs up and fiddled with the comforter. He looked out the window. It was a beautiful evening, with hours still before sunset. “There won’t be anything to remember. You were probably right when you said I haven’t bent since I was a toddler. If I ever bent at all.”

“Why?” Mako turned around. He was frowning. “I mean, I get that you never knew you could, but why did you ever stop?”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure when my nanny, or whoever, caught me then they would have put a stop to it and made sure I knew never to do it again. And then, of course, I grew up and forgot all about it.”

“What?” Mako went and sat beside Wu, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Why? Didn’t they want you to be a bender?” 

Wu looked at him strangely.

“No.” He laughed. “Mako, I don’t know if you know this, but bending is dirty and sweaty and dangerous. Not exactly the sort of thing you want a prince to be messing around with. Oh, don’t look like that! Nobody in the Upper Ring really bends. The most they do is lift a few rocks occasionally, so they don’t forget how to do it. They certainly never advertise the fact.”

Mako couldn’t understand this at all. Wu, seeing this, went on to explain:

“Look, it’s different in other cities but in Ba Sing Se, bending is something for the lower classes to enjoy. You know how the class system over there is; nobody wants anything to do with the people below them.” Wu chuckled. “My minders at the Palace must have had a heart attack when they caught me bending. Never mind the whole class thing, the ruler of the Earth Kingdom being an earthbender hasn’t happened for over two centuries! Can’t have a mere figurehead being too autonomous. Not to mention the rumours about my parentage.”

“Your parents weren’t benders then?”

“Who knows? Probably not. There won’t be any records, of course.” Wu took Mako’s hand off his shoulder and set it on the bed. “It really was for the best that they put an end to any bending I might have done.”

Mako looked away for a while, needing to digest this information. He shook his head.

“I don’t understand. But I don’t think I ever will. Is this why you were so reluctant at first?” 

Was it? Wu didn’t understand it himself, the immediate rejection. Even now, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to bend or not.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Wu didn’t look at Mako when he said it. 

“But you’re OK with it now?”

Wu shrugged. “Anybody who would judge me for being a bender already hates me for abdicating and all the changes that brought. I don’t think anything I do now could make it any worse.” Wu had basically lost all of his political power in the Earth Kingdom when he abdicated but all the other really important people had no hang ups about bending. He could survive without Earth Kingdom support.

They both heard Suyin down the hall. It seemed she had located the bathing suits and had dropped in to hand them out. As if on cue, Mako sprung up, back to the closet, knowing she would be at his room soon. 

“What are you wearing to the lake?” Mako asked. He started flicking through clothes, looking for something. 

Wu looked down at himself. He had on one of his casual suits. He thought it looked quite nice; he had branched out and started wearing colours other than green and yellow and this suit was an attractive red. 

“This isn’t alright?”

Mako turned around and looked at what Wu was wearing. He looked doubtful. 

“You’ll be wearing a bathing suit underneath, won’t you? Everyone else is just going to throw on pants and a shirt until we get to the water.” Mako said.

“Mako, I’m not going swimming! Have you seen my hair wet?” He had just been planning on laying in the grass and relaxing. Mako shook his head and went back to the closet. He had pulled out some pants but seemed to be having trouble finding a suitable shirt. (Mako was not the best at casual either.)

“Wu, trust me. There’s going to be a lot of water fights and plenty of splashing. Even if you never get in the water, you’ll end up soaking anyway.”

Wu frowned. He did have clothes like Mako was describing but he’d never worn them outside of his own room. And never in front of anybody other than Mako. But, they were all supposed to be friends and friends let each other see things the public didn’t get to, didn’t they? 

Just then, Suyin poked her head around the door. She came into the room with a few swimsuits draped over her arm.

“Hello, boys. I think I’ve got ones that will fit you. Just let me know if they don’t.” 

She handed Mako a dark blue swimsuit and Wu a green one. They looked like they would fit but one really had to wonder where she got them from. 

Wu looked at his nervously as he stood up to follow Su out of the room. Mako, having found the shirt he was looking for, told him he would meet up with everyone outside. 

In the hallway, Su put a hand on Wu’s arm and said: “Are you alright?”

Wu looked up from the bathing suit he had been studying, startled. “Yes, I’m fine.” 

“Can’t swim?” Suyin said, with an understanding look. Wu wondered how she had known. He guessed she was just like that, having raised five children.

“Um, no.” He looked down to find himself clutching the fabric a tad too tightly and immediately loosened his grip. He was even blushing a bit. 

“Don’t worry. No one will let you drown. In fact, once she finds out you can’t swim, I’m sure Korra will insist on teaching you herself,” Su said and squeezed his arm. 

Wu thought she was overestimating how much Korra liked him and didn’t want him to drown but he didn’t say anything as he excused himself and slipped into his room to change. 

He felt that the bathing suit fit him almost too well but he had never worn one before and wasn’t sure how they were supposed to look. Wu had to go to the very back of his closet for the casual clothes but he hesitated before putting them on. 

They weren’t all that different for what he wore to his earthbending lessons (or that one self-defence lesson that Mako tried to give him) but they felt different. Still, he was very conscious of the time, and he hurried to get them on.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a warm summer evening and Wu felt absolutely no need for any more layers. He met up with the rest of the group at the front gate. He received a few surprised looks for the plain green t-shirt and yellow yoga pants but his anxiety was soother because everyone else was wearing the same sort of thing. Opal’s too large t-shirt even had a few holes in it. Wu suspected it had been Bolin’s once upon a time. 

They started walking towards the lake. Korra, Bolin, Wing and Wei bounded ahead, while Asami and Mako jogged along at a slower pace. Wu naturally fell into step with Opal as they lagged behind, neither of them in any particular hurry. 

It was uncomfortable, both of them desperately casting about for a subject they had in common. The paved roads of Zaofu soon gave way to a forest path, going downhill towards the lake. It truly was a beautiful valley. 

“How are your lessons going?” Opal eventually asked. 

Wu shrugged, avoiding eye contact. 

“They’re OK. I haven’t bent anything yet but everyone assures me I’ll get it eventually.” He tried to smile optimistically but thought he failed, judging by Opal’s face.

“Oh. Well, I’m sure they’re right. At least you don’t go around accidentally bending. I don’t even want to tell you how I discovered I could airbend – you’re lucky you only knocked a vase off a table.” 

Opal laughed a little awkwardly, but she was smiling. Wu grinned and laughed back. It was nice, Wu thought, to be able to share a laugh so casually with someone. 

When the laughter faded, Wu looked away and bit his lip. He wanted to ask her something but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. 

“When you started bending, did you… change?” He asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. 

Opal looked a bit confused at the question before saying: “Change? Yes and no. Physically, I wasn’t any different but… it made me feel like I could do anything. I mean, airbending! If I could do that, I could do anything, right? And it gave me the confidence to tell mother I wanted to leave and that was one of the best decisions of my life. It changed me a lot, I think. It made me a stronger person.”

“Oh.” Wu said. “Do you think I’ll change? If I ever start earthbending?” 

Opal shrugged. They were almost at the lake now; they could see it through the trees, shining bright blue in the setting sun. 

“I don’t know. I guess you’ll be able to fight now. I mean, that isn’t all of what bending is about but given who your teachers are…” Opal shrugged again. “It was different with airbending because we we were kind of rebuilding a nation. It changed all of us. I’m sure you won’t change much personality wise.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

Wu felt only slightly better. Fighting? He’d known that was what bending would entail, eventually, but would he be ready? 

They turned a corner and emerged from the trees and they were at the lake. The area they were at was a big stretch of gently sloping grass between the forest and the shore, with a few trees dotted about here and there. 

Wing, Wei, Mako and Korra had already stripped to their bathing suits and were in the water. Asami and Bolin were putting down a couple of blankets far enough away to hopefully avoid being splashed. There were also the picnic baskets that Bolin had brought sitting protectively next to a tree.

Bolin grinned when he saw Opal and Wu. He still had on his clothes but Asami had taken hers off to reveal a red costume. Wu felt himself blush a bit at how little reserve they all had. 

“What took you guys so long?” Bolin asked. 

Opal walked over and linked their hands, laughing and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I guess we just realised the lake wasn’t going to go anywhere,” she said. 

Bolin chuckled and stepped back to tug his shirt over his head. There was a pile on one of the blankets where everyone else had put their clothes, the only ones not in swimsuits being Opal and Wu. 

“Are you all coming in the water?” he said and threw his shirt onto the pile. Opal also shucked off her clothes. 

“I’m not going to get my hair wet if I can help it.” Wu said. He sat down on the blanket, wishing he’d thought to bring a book. 

“Good luck with that,” Asami said but she sat down next to him in her bathing suit. 

Opal and Bolin went down to the lake, where a water fight had already started. It was Korra vs everyone else but their splashing was no match for her waterbending. Asami and Wu lay back in the sun, commentating on the fight. Currently, Mako, Bolin and Opal were barraging Korra with water while Wing and Wei tried to tackle her. It wasn’t working. 

Wu was glad he wasn’t down there in the middle of that, even if he was a tiny bit curious what swimming was like. None of the water had made it far enough to hit them yet but it had been close.   
Still, Wu was having fun, relaxing and joking with Asami. After his disastrous first impression and promises never to flirt with her again, he’d discovered that he enjoyed talking to her but he hadn’t had the chance since the airship. Now, he chatted and joked and even got Asami to laugh a few times. 

However, after a while Wu began to notice that she was getting irritated. His shoulders slumped. He’d talked too much, yet again. 

“What’s wrong?” Asami asked, after Wu had been silent for too long.

“Nothing!” He replied too quickly and panicked. 

She would never buy that but Wu didn’t want to whine and look needy. He knew his reliance on Mako was something the others looked down on him for. He needed a distraction and so blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Did you ever want to be a bender?” 

Asami looked surprised at the random question but she lay down on the blanket to consider it. Wu did the same, rolling onto his side to face her. 

“No,” she said with finality. “When I was young, I used to hear the non-bender children talking about how they wished they could be like the cool kids in class – the benders. I think it’s because there’s this common misconception that all benders are inherently tough – they have this idea that people who can’t bend need looking after or are somehow incompetent. People are always surprised when they figure out I’m not the worst fighter in this group, despite being the only non-bender, now.

“But I never wanted to be a bender,” Asami said, looking wistful, “because I always had Future Industries and engineering to show me that I wasn’t incompetent. Plus, my dad made sure I was in self-defence classes from a young age, so I already knew I was tough.”

Wu rolled onto his back and looked at the clouds. He could hear the others in the water, discussing rules for some game that sounded vaguely dangerous. 

“So, you don’t think that once I start bending, I’ll become some big tough guy, like Mako?” 

Asami burst out laughing, throwing her arm over her face to try and stifle it. If Wu had not known how completely frail he was, he might have been a bit offended. When Asami calmed down, she sat up and gave Wu an incredulous look. 

“Nobody thinks you’re going to become some fighter class earthbender. We just want you to be able to defend yourself, so we don’t have to worry about you all the time.” 

“Mako’s already tried. I’m not sure how much difference bending is going to make.” Wu wasn’t sure how much difference he wanted it to make. Self-defence was still combat, after all.

Asami just shrugged. “Apparently, basic bending is a lot easier than hand to hand.” 

There was a moment of silence and then: “Do you really worry about me?” 

Asami bit her lip, trying not to smile. “Wu… You can’t even remember your own allergies. We all worry about you. Constantly.” She laughed a little, smiling and nudging his shoulder, before becoming distracted by something down at the lake. 

“Oh. Sorry,” Wu said. He had a horrifying thought that they all thought he was a burden - an annoying little tag-along. 

But Asami had already stood up, shielding her eyes to look at the lake. 

“I think it’s about time we broke up that fight and had some nice, relaxing lake time.” Asami said.   
She started to walk away, clearly expecting Wu to follow her, but stopped when she glanced over her shoulder and saw he hadn’t moved. 

“You’re not coming?”

“Hair, remember?”

Wu shrugged and looked longingly at the lake. He did want to go, of course, but the others were making such waves… 

Asami hesitated for a moment, before sitting back down. 

“I’m not going to leave you sitting up here by yourself. Why don’t you come down to the water?”

“I think I'll just stay on dry land. I'm not sure I'd be able to manage to stay afloat out there!” 

Asami gazed at him for a few moments and then looked to the lake. The others had moved towards the centre so the water near the shore was actually pretty calm. 

“You can't swim?” She looked at him knowingly. 

Wu felt himself going red. Yet another thing he couldn’t do. Was it that obvious? 

“No,” he finally admitted. He rushed to explain. “I just never had the opportunity. Nobody in the Palace ever let me do anything dangerous; they thought I might drown if they let me get near the water.” He laughed a little at the end but it came out just a tad bitterly.

“Hey, it’s OK,” Asami said, nudging his shoulder. She looked a bit concerned. “Come down and I’ll teach you.” She followed his uncertain expression to the wild game. “I promise I’ll get the others to calm down.” 

“OK,” he whispered. He already knew he wouldn’t be any good at it but this was something he’d actually wanted to try. 

“Great!” Asami smiled and at least looked like she actually meant it.

Wu found himself smiling back and he stood and began to nervously tug off his clothes to reveal the bathing suit underneath and toed off his shoes. Asami strode confidently down to the small strip of sand at the lake’s edge. Wu followed, marvelling at the different textures under his bare feet. 

“Hey guys! Wu and I are coming in for a swim now, so you better cut that out!” 

Immediately, Korra stopped waterbending and was overwhelmed by Wing and Wei. Mako also stopped splashing and swam to the shore. It seemed that Bolin and Opal had stopped playing a while ago and were wrapped up in each other a little ways off. 

Mako stood in the knee deep water and waited for them. Asami waded out to stand next to Mako. She turned around and beckoned Wu closer. 

“Come on, Wu. The water’s fine!” Mako yelled.

Wu stood at the water’s edge and hesitantly stepped in. The water was colder than he had thought and felt different to bath water. It was more alive. Wu desperately tried to forget about germs carried in nature. 

He didn’t learn to swim, in the end. They tried to teach him but he was useless at it, as he knew he would be. He mostly spent the time clinging to Mako and Bolin. But that was OK, because it was fun. The others challenged each other to various water-related competitions and races, which Wu spent cheering for Mako and which Korra always won, and they played some team games, which Wu joined in on. And it didn’t even matter that he couldn’t swim because there was always one of his friends to grab onto.

They stayed in the water until it was dark and then they had their almost-forgotten picnic under the stars. Despite the fact that this was probably the dirtiest Wu had ever been in his life, he found himself not wanting to go back to Zaofu, when everyone eventually decided they ought to head back.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Wu was up bright and early for his lesson with Wing and Wei. He was pretty sure this was when the kid gloves came off and people started to really push him to bend. Wing and Wei were nice but they were going to throw rocks at him until he bent, goddammit. 

And they did. They started out small, nothing that would cause any damage and slow enough for even Wu to easily dodge, but it didn’t work. It was enough to have Wu nervous and on edge but not quite the panic that angry Asami had induced. 

So the twins went bigger and faster and that was definitely scary. Wu tried, he really did, but every time he tried to bend, the rocks would just continue on and hit him. 

Wing and Wei were nice about it; they kept checking him over and gave him plenty of time to recover in between, but Wu still left the lesson with a lot of bruises and no bending.

~~

Lin was not nice about it. She was tough and uncompromising. Wu knew, in theory, that her mean comments were supposed to encourage him to get better but he had never felt less motivated. The more rocks she chucked at him, the more he wanted to give up. 

It wasn’t as if bending would make any difference to him – Wu would never use it for what the others thought he should. After getting tossed about for suitably long enough, Lin stopped her barrage and took him aside.

“Kid,” she said, hands on her hips, impatient, “I can’t teach you if you’re not trying. I am on vacation too, you know.”

“Sorry.” Wu swallowed, eyes averted. 

“Do you even want to learn?”

“What?” Wu’s eyes snapped up, looking at Lin’s scowling face. 

“Well?”

“I do,” Wu said. “I do want to learn.” 

And something in him did. Some fragment of himself that he’d been trying not to acknowledge for fear of getting his hopes up. It was just that that part was eclipsed by the part that doubted his abilities and feared change. 

Lin didn’t look as if she quite believed him. It was probably not helped by the fact that she wasn’t even convinced Wu was a bender at all. 

But she did get on with the session, even though it yielded exactly no results. At the end, Lin told him not to give up, in a surprising display of tenderness, but Wu had already reached his own conclusion. He trudged back to the house in weary silence. 

This, Wu decided, was the final straw. It was clear to him that he wasn’t actually an earthbender after all and any further attempts would just be embarrassing. He allowed himself to feel disappointed during his post-lesson bath but after that he firmly pushed it down and actually felt a bit relieved that this whole thing was over. 

~~

That night, Wu was sprawled across the bed, in pyjamas, when there was a knock at his door. Mako came in, also in pyjamas, and sat on the edge of the bed. They hadn’t spoken much at dinner, since Lin and Su had spent the entire time trying to give Wu training tips, which turned into them arguing with each other and also managing to rope in all the other earthbenders as well. 

“Hey.” Wu tried to go for a smile, for Mako’s benefit. “I didn’t see you around earlier. Busy?” He added an eyebrow wiggle for effect. 

Mako, obviously, completely ignored it. 

“Me, Opal and Korra went exploring past the lake.” Mako shrugged. “I knew you wouldn’t want to come.”

He was right, of course. Wu could just about handle the lake but the very idea of the forest made him shudder. He and Mako would always be city boys but at least Mako could handle germs and dirt. 

“So…” Mako said. He waited for Wu to fill in the rest. Wu remained silent. Mako tried to be sympathetic. 

“You’ll get it eventually. You just have to keep trying. Don’t give up.” He patted Wu’s shoulder awkwardly. 

Wu rolled over so he wasn’t facing Mako. He wished he didn’t have to have this conversation.

“I don’t want any more lessons. Obviously I wasn’t a bender after all.” He felt Mako shift on the bed and hurried on. “It’s fine, really. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s not like I would be any good at all.” 

“You can’t just give up. It’s been two days!” Mako is… disappointed, Wu thinks. “How can you say it doesn’t matter? Bending is a part of you!”

“Well, maybe I don’t want it to be!”

Wu can tell Mako is surprised because he can feel him shift away. It’s because Wu hardly ever snaps or gets angry. The only time that comes to mind is his failed coronation. One of the hazards of being a monarch; everyone looks to you to be calm and reasonable at all times. (Sometimes, when Wu is lying alone at night feeling bitter, he wonders why his Aunt never had to live up to impossible standards.) 

“You don’t want to earthbend.” Mako says this as if he is just figuring it out.

“Mako,” Wu says, sitting up to look at him, completely at a loss, “of course I don’t. What part of bending did you think would appeal to me? The dirt, the discipline or the danger?” Wu is suddenly quite angry. “I hate bending! I hate violence and-and fighting. Yes, even self-defence!”

Mako is speechless at this outburst. For a moment, Wu feels bad. But he isn’t finished yet. 

“You’re all expecting me to suddenly jump up and start training, like bending is going to make a difference. Well, I’m sorry but I don’t think I can do that.” Wu turned away and brought his knees up, resting his head on them. Sometime in the last few minutes, he had started crying. The one time he is angry and he can’t even do it properly.

“I know that you think if I could bend, then I could take of myself but I honestly don’t think it would be any different. I’ll never be able to do that kind of thing, Mako, and that isn’t going to change just because I might be able to chuck rocks around now.” Wu sniffled. “I only agreed to it because I thought everyone would like me more if I wasn’t such a burden.” 

The bed dipped as Mako came closer and, after a moment of hesitation, wrapped his arms around Wu.

“Shit, Wu,” Mako swallowed, “I’m sorry. You’re not a burden. You don’t need to change to make us like you; we’re already your friends.” Mako rested his head on Wu’s shoulder. He sighed, searching for the words. “I guess we were expecting you to change but we should’ve known that wasn’t you. In fact, I’m glad you didn’t; it would’ve been weird.” 

Wu laughed a little through the tears and turned around to hug Mako, sniffling into his shoulder. He was still mad but Mako didn’t hug him often and he was going to take advantage of it. When Mako saw the state of his face, he squeezed Wu tightly.

“You do know we all care about you, right? I-I don’t know what we did to make you think otherwise but we’re all your friends and we like you just the way you are.”

They sat in silence for a while, letting Wu calm down. Eventually Mako spoke.

“Do you really think that Korra was wrong? I mean, there’s more to bending than combat. Just because you’re not any good at that, doesn’t mean you can’t earthbend.”

Wu sniffed and kept his face buried in Mako’s shoulder. More to bending? He’d known, objectively, that there was. But bending as a weapon was all anyone talked about; it was the whole point, everything else was just secondary effects. But if that wasn’t true, then maybe Wu was meant to bend after all. 

“I don’t think Korra made a mistake but I don’t know why I haven’t done it yet,” Wu said.

Mako shook his head. “You can’t bend if you don’t want to. Do you want to?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe? I just…” Wu frowned. There was just so much in his head right now. The crying probably wasn’t helping, even though he had gotten over the worst of it. 

“You don’t have to decide right now. I think you should talk to the others about this tomorrow – they should know how you feel.”

Wu smiled, never one to stay angry for long. He was glad for the company as he was getting ready for bed. He hugged Mako one last time at the door, milking it for all he was worth, and when he was gone, collapsed onto the bed.

Even though Wu was exhausted after the emotional evening, his mind was racing. Did he want to bend? He found himself staring at his hands, for the second time truly contemplating making earth move. However, he kept thinking in circles, never able to come to a decision, and fell into a restless sleep a little while later.


	7. Chapter 7

At breakfast the next morning, Mako had evidently already spoken to everyone and asked him if he'd like to meet with everyone at the fountain in the courtyard after breakfast. Wu imagined this would be to talk about his outburst last night and to hear his decision about the future of his bending. He pushed his food around his plate, not feeling particularly well rested or hungry.

The truth was, he still didn’t know what to do. Would anybody respect a bender who was useless in combat? Or was it better to just bury the whole thing and forget about it?

Wu was quiet all throughout breakfast and ended up leaving early to go to the fountain. Although the prince had never been able to hold onto hard feelings, he still found that he needed some time to clear his head before the confrontation.

It had been lovely weather for the whole vacation so far but today it looked like it might rain. Wu sat down on the edge of the fountain and played with one hand in the water. The fountain was in one of the gardens, connected to a small river that flowed through the Beifong’s home. The spot was fairly secluded but Wu could see a building he had been told was Huan’s art studio not too far away.

The whole area was deserted and although Wu would normally have sat on the bench adjacent to the fountain, he wasn’t really in the mood for proper conduct today. Besides, he was supposed to be on vacation. It was peaceful here, which was just what he needed to try and get his thoughts in order. It should have been an easy decision; Wu didn’t like bending in general and it offered him no real advantages.

However, there was still a part of himself, a very hidden and deep down part, that craved it. Mako must have been right when he said that bending was a part of him and now that he had realised it, Wu honestly didn’t think he would be able to ignore it again.

When the others arrived together after breakfast, Wu still had not made a decision. Mako and Bolin came to sit on either side of him, Korra kicked up some earth to sit on and Asami and Opal sat on the bench. They were chatting amongst themselves and Wu joined in, glad they were not immediately getting down to business. Opal told them a few stories that had taken place in this park and she talked a bit about Huan’s work, before they inevitably came to the subject of bending. 

It was awkward, at first, but Wu repeated much of what he had said to Mako. When he was finished, the others admitted that perhaps they had been overenthusiastic and had accidentally pressured Wu into something he did not want to do. Then there were apologies and hugs and the only thing left to discuss was whether or not Wu wanted to continue his lessons, with decidedly less focus on the combative aspects.

“You know,” Opal said, leaning forwards, “maybe, if you’re not that into normal bending… maybe my brother could teach you. Huan, I mean.”

Bolin was nodding but everyone else looked doubtful. 

“The artist?” Wu said. He had forgotten that Huan was a bender but it would explain a few odd sculptures he had seen dotted around.

“Do you think he would do it?” Mako said. “No offence but he isn’t exactly friendly.”

Wu had vague memories of him being around during the evacuation of Republic City but they had never interacted before. From what he heard, Huan was a typical ‘moody artist’ and would probably not appreciate teaching someone as inept as Wu how to earthbend. 

Opal held up her hands. “I know what you’re thinking but he just… doesn’t get other people. Once you get past that, he’s really fun and nice.” She looked directly at Wu. “I think he would enjoy teaching you.” She looked like she meant it, at least. 

“I’ll think about it.” Wu wasn’t ready to commit to anything more yet.

“If you decide to give it a go, there’s his studio over there,” Opal pointed to the building in the distance. “Although, he should be finished his project soon, I think. You might see him at dinner tonight.” 

It was decided that no more would be said on the topic for now and they tried to forget about it for the day while they enjoyed their vacation. Even if it did start to rain.

~~ 

Huan did come to dinner. Wu sat and observed him, noticing how surly he got when someone who was not his family spoke to him. Still, Wu thought Opal had been right; it was in the way he kept bending the spoons out of Wei’s mouth and then pretended to be above it all when anybody looked.   
But did he want Huan to teach him? It was clear he was a good bender but Wu was hesitant about going to him. How would Huan react to a near stranger approaching him and asking to be taught? Not well, Wu thought. 

He decided to keep his distance for now and take the next few days to just enjoy his vacation and try to get his head in order. They weren't set to stay in Zaofu for much longer and Wu knew, even if no one would say it, that the pressure was on to make a final decision between staying in Zaofu and training with Huan or leaving with the others and most probably never bending again. 

Because if he left now, Wu would never take that step, would always make excuses not to try. 

In the end, it was Huan himself that helped him make his decision. Wu stumbled upon him when he was walking in the gardens. He had gotten bored during some sort of bizarre fighting game his friends were playing and decided to take himself off to admire the plants and do a bit of bird spotting. He hadn't realised he had wandered anywhere near Huan's art studio until he came across him quite suddenly. 

Huan was on a large raised platform outside, surrounded by various metal sculptures. He appeared to be suffering from artists block if the mangled metal carcass in front of him was any indication. Wu hesitated to approach him but he was curious to see some metalbending in action. 

“Hi, I'm Wu. I don't think we've officially met yet.” 

Huan startled and spun around. Wu felt his smile faltering; it was clear that Huan was very frustrated with this latest piece of work. Perhaps disturbing him had not been the best idea. Huan kind of frowned at him with some confusion but ultimately decided that this distraction was not worth a response. With that he went back to contemplating his latest masterpiece-in-progress. The curt dismissal stung a bit but Wu tried to keep in mind that Huan had probably not meant to be rude. Obviously, he was very focused on his work. Wu hovered awkwardly for a moment before gingerly sitting down on the raised stone that lined the platform.

“I'll just sit and observe, if that's all right with you,” he called.

Huan barely grunted in acknowledgement. 

Wu sat. He watched as Huan shaped the metal, delicate pieces thin as a string and wide expanses of metal curved just so. And then he watched him tear it all apart and start over. Wu was transfixed. The way Huan expertly bent the metal, getting it to do exactly as he wanted with seemingly little effort – it gave him shivers. 

Wu was seeing a master at work. It was clear that the art must be absolutely perfect before Huan would deem it finished; Wu lost count of the amount of times he had started from scratch. Huan moved sometimes with great energy, snarling in frustration when something did not go exactly right and using great sweeping movements to bend the metal into shape, and sometimes he would just stand there considering the sculpture, in complete silence, until he found whatever minute flaw had been bothering him and then the whole thing would be torn apart. 

It was only when the setting sun obscured their vision, that they realised they had been there for several hours. Huan blinked as if coming up from a dream and it was only now that Wu registered the ache from sitting still for so long. 

When he'd told Lin that he wanted to learn how to earthbend, he didn't think he'd ever mean it. Now, Wu did. Desperately. Seeing Huan masterfully manipulate his element... Wu wanted to do that. 

He'd never considered before that it could be like that. He recognised that there was certainly some beauty in combative bending but not the kind that Wu appreciated. He had felt no fear observing Huan and that was truly a novel experience. 

Huan was looking at him now as if he had only just noticed he was there. He held himself stiffly and Wu couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or annoyed. He attempted his most charming smile and hoped that at least some of his admiration was showing on his face. 

“Hello,” Huan said cautiously. A pause.“I'm Huan.”

“Yes, I know. I'm Prince Wu. I think we met briefly during the evacuation.” Recognition lit Huan's face and Wu counted that as a success. “I must say, that was really impressive. I've never seen bending quite like that.”

Huan made a non-committal noise, vaguely questioning. He looked around Wu. 

“Oh absolutely! Although to be fair, I haven't exactly seen a whole lot.”

“Right.” Huan edged around Wu and scurried down the steps. “I'll... see you around.” And was gone. 

“Oh, wait.” 

He had left so suddenly. Wu resolved to speak to Huan at the very earliest opportunity.


	8. Chapter 8

The rock moved under his hands, first a cube, then a sphere. Wu felt how Huan shaped it, could feel it pulling at something inside him. In all the weeks that Huan had been teaching him, this was the closest he had come to earthbending so far. 

Huan abruptly let go of the rock and sprawled out from where they were sitting cross-legged from each other, knees touching. Wu lent back on his hands, sweating. The intense concentration needed for this was really taking it out of him. 

The evening sun coming through the windows of Huan's studio gave the room a relaxing glow. Huan had said he picked this building mostly for its lighting. 

Unlike his other lessons, with Huan, Wu felt like he was actually getting somewhere. Huan knew that people did things their own way and understood that it would probably take Wu a while to work up to actual bending. Wu never felt the pressure he had with the others but there was something more too. 

Mako would always be Wu's best friend but he could speak to Huan about things that Mako wouldn't get or that he would find silly. Wu had made a promise to himself to get Huan, Bolin and himself in the same room sometime soon. He was sure that once Huan warmed up to him, he and Bolin would be great friends. 

Plus, bending with Huan was fun.

Wu had never known before that bending could be properly fun. He'd never been around benders growing up and all he had ever really known was pro-bending on the radio – when he could get good enough connection for Republic City and if he didn't get caught.

But Huan showed him games he used to play as a child and for the first time, Wu wished he could bend so that he could join in. 

The first thing Huan showed him was a game where you twisted the earth so you span around on the spot, like a top. This was back when they were first starting their lessons. 

Huan had Wu stand close to him and put his arms around his waist so he didn't fall off. It felt like giving him a hug, which helped Wu feel less nervous about this game. Then they were moving. One minute they were standing there and the next they were spinning so fast that everything was a blur. Huan was laughing but Wu just felt sick. He was suddenly aware that he was standing on ground that was being bent.

He later remembered screaming for Huan to stop, but the next thing he knew, he was being sick in a bush. Huan knelt on the ground next to Wu and put a hand on his shoulder as he gasped and spluttered. Huan didn't know what to do so he just settled for rubbing his back. 

“Well,” Wu said when he had recovered, “something else to check off the bucket list.” He managed a weak smile. 

Wu got shakily to his feet, his hand on Huan's shoulder. Huan made sure he was steady. He regarded Wu closely, making sure he was alright and trying to work out what had happened. 

“Were you scared?” asked Huan. “Was I going too fast?”

Wu's hands twisted in the bottom of his shirt. He tried to look reassuring.

“No, it wasn't that.”

“But you were scared.”

Wu shrugged and looked away.

“I guess I'm not used to bending. It's alright. I'll be fine once I've got my bearings.”

Huan frowned, already making a plan of how to deal with Wu's obvious fear of bending. It wouldn't do to have an earthbender that was scared of earthbending, now would it?

After that, Huan took a far gentler approach. He started off with exercises that didn't scare Wu, mostly games he had played as a child, like catch, or simple bending, focusing not on force but on technique, and they gradually worked up from there. 

The next time they tried the spinning top game, Wu actually laughed. He could hardly remember why he had been frightened.

Although he knew there would still be fear if he was confronted with combative bending any time soon, Wu felt like he was making progress. He had never been particularly interested in bending before, but now he listened to everything Huan had to say. He put actual effort into his lessons.  
But Wu still had not bent. 

He looked at Huan now and wondered if he was getting impatient. Wu didn't know why he couldn't do it, when he was honestly trying now. Huan kept telling him it would happen naturally, when the time was right.

Wu often found himself wishing he could remember being a toddler, so he could remember what it felt like. Before, he hadn't cared either way but now the desire to bend was growing and he felt angry sometimes at the people who had stopped him bending, even if he knew why they had done it. 

Wu was getting impatient with himself. Things in life usually came easily to him and this was both frustrating and rewarding. Rewarding when he finally made a little bit of progress and endlessly frustrating in between. 

Huan took his hands and led him through another exercise, knowing that it wouldn't do much to further their goals other than to keep Wu busy. He had a feeling that Wu was the kind of person that would bend when he was good and ready and not one minute before.

It would be another two weeks before it happened. 

It was nothing special. Wu was just sitting in Huan's studio, chatting away, lazily fiddling with a rock in his hands. He was taking a break, not really focusing on anything. Huan was talking about his latest art project and Wu was listening as much as possible when the evening sun was making him feel so relaxed.

He twirled the rock. Huan began to speak about different textures. The rock in Wu's hands moved.  
They both froze. Wu tried again. The rock shakily rose from his hands and then clattered to the table. 

Wu put his hands to his mouth and Huan started laughing. The prince started with a high pitched giggle that morphed into genuine laughter. Huan turned to him and grinned.

“I told you. When you were good and ready and no sooner.”

And you know what? Wu didn't feel any different at all. 

~~

Mako was the first out of the airship, looking forward to Wu's enthusiastic welcome, although he'd never admit it. Wu rushed forward to meet him as soon as he was on Zaofu soil and hugged him like they didn't speak on the radio twice a week. 

Mako hugged him back just as hard because, after all, they hadn't seen each other for weeks. Everyone else followed at a much more sedate pace and they all crowded together, exchanging the usual greetings of people who have been apart for a while. Mako pulled back from the hug and looked at Wu expectantly.

“Well?” He asked.

Wu had been pretty secretive about his earthbending progress. Not totally, because after all, this was Wu but Mako was largely in the dark. 

“OK everyone, step back,” Wu said eagerly. He had been looking forward to this.

They all immediately complied. Bolin flashed him a thumbs up and Huan smiled encouragingly. Wu had only trained with Huan and Suyin was intensely curious, both how the prince was doing and how her son was as a teacher.

Wu took a deep breath and stamped the ground. Immediately a clump of dirt rose up, moving according to Wu's whims. He'd paid attention to this move in particular, wanting to impress Mako by getting it perfect. When he was finished he looked at Mako first, seeing how proud he was, and then he looked to Huan, who was smiling broadly.

Then Suyin was rushing forward to congratulate him and Bolin was sweeping him into a hug and telling him how far he'd come. He heard congratulations and praise from everyone as they patted him on the back and ruffled his hair (even Lin managed a vaguely pleased hum).

Wu cleared his throat.

“And I'll have you know, Lin,” he said, loudly. Lin raised her eyebrow. “That I only hurt myself once.”

Lin looked at his defiant face and actually laughed.


End file.
